The World and Japan in the eyes of Étranger (myself) since 13 April 2010

photo by kind courtesy of @atuktekt (*click the photo for details)

2014/01/11

Translation: "Politics that defy democracy" by a high schooler in Japan (民主主義に反する政治とは) とある高校生の投書

現役高校生が考える「反民主的な政治」の姿。

昨年大晦日に新聞投書欄に投稿された以下の秀逸な記事を英訳した。

What a high school student will consider as acts that defy democracy.A shrewd newspaper comment posted on a national newspaper on New Year's Eve 2013.

"Politics that defy democracy"

by Kota Hara (18), a High school studentfrom Kanagawa Prefecture, JapanDecember 31, 2013The ways politicians today speak and behave often defy democracy. First and foremost, they never follow through with their campaign promises. Elections are one of the very few moments when politicians actually listen in person to what the people has to say. Still, they do not uphold their promises. In fact, they sometimes enact policies that they never promised but nevertheless have a great impact on people's daily lives. Can policies like the State Secrecy Act, which they never bothered to gather public consensus through elections, be considered an act of democracy?The State Secrecy Act infringes upon the people's right to know, so politicians and bureaucrats can hide whatever information they deem are inconvenient to the public's eyes. If they hide this important information, on what basis can the people make their decision?I also question the mindset of those in power who claim that protesters are "terrorists." These politicians believe that they're being righteous. And they call names on people who demonstrate as a means to express their opinion, labeling them as "terrorists." But demonstrators aren't terrorists. These types of remarks should not be tolerated even if they are withdrawn.A nation belongs to all people who pay their taxes to maintain it. I believe that you can only say that we live in a democracy when politicians explain everything and seriously consider the will of the people before enacting any of their policies.